00:00The National Emblems Bill has been passed in the lower house and the Senate
00:04and is now awaiting proclamation from the president. But it appears the
00:09redesign of the coat of arms is yet to be fully approved by the citizens of TNT.
00:14What do you think about the design of the steel band? I think it's a very modern look and a very vintage logo.
00:24It used to have the three ships and it used to fit the theme of the logo, but now it doesn't with the steel pan. It looks a little out of place.
00:36I think that artistically the steel pan doesn't quite fit as it is now. Maybe if it could be redesigned.
00:43But it seems like a cheap addition without any merit to it.
00:48Artistically the ships fit within this theme. It's a 17th century sort of Paris-esque theme with the coat of arms and so on.
00:57And so it just doesn't have that same belonging there.
01:01Panchen Begu has described the inclusion of the steel pan on the coat of arms as a proud and defining moment for Trinidad and Tobago.
01:09And the government has said the move was a response to decades of people calling for the removal of painful colonial vestiges from our national insignias.
01:19Some, however, believe that we must always remember where we came from.
01:24In all honesty, I am very neutral on the situation, but it is both a nice addition to include more aspects of our culture on our coat of arms.
01:36But I also think that even though it has some colonial aspects, the part where Christopher Columbus comes to Trinidad is still a part of our history.
01:46Even though it's not a very desirable thing to remember.
01:52But of course there are those who support the move 100% in the name of culture and national pride.
02:00I hear the reason for it and the importance of our steel pan. I think it's a positive change because it is our national instrument.
02:06It has carried us internationally. It has made strides for us in music in all spheres of the world.
02:13So I think it's a positive change that it's on the coat of arms.
02:17I mean, the ships that were there before, it's history. I don't think we can erase history.
02:21But I think the pan is a positive change in terms of spreading what we as Trinidad represent.
02:28Support for the new coat of arms is also coming in from a regional counterpart.
02:33As a Bayesian, tell me how you view this entire commentary on what is taking place with our coat of arms.
02:39Well, I believe all sorts of changes can be good.
02:42And changing from the Columbus ships to the steel pan is very good because when you think of Trinidad, the first thing you think of would be the steel pan.
02:49So it's a step in the right direction.
02:51Meantime, the designer Jillian Bishop is standing firmly by her work.
02:55In an interview with the Express newspaper, she said she does not care about what people think, adding that she did it to the best of her ability.
03:04Questioned as to the cost of her service, Bishop indicated that she was yet to submit an invoice.
03:11Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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